Inclusive Lit- ASK ME NO QUESTIONS

Bibliographic Data

Budhos, Marina Tamar. 2006. Ask Me No Questions. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN: 9781416903512

Brief Plot Summary

Nadira and her sister are teen girls living in New York City. The events of September 11^th bring grave challenges to their life. Their father’s visa is long expired and Canada did not grant them asylum. He is taken into custody and their mother stays behind to help. The sisters are left to wait in New York City as if their whole lives are not in limbo.

Awards & Best Books

James Cook Book Award, 2007 Winner United States

Best Children's Books of the Year, 2007 Bank Street College of Education ; Outstanding Merit

Booklist Book Review Stars , Dec. 15, 2005 American Library Association

Booklist Editors' Choice: Books for Youth, 2006 Booklist Editor's Choice

Capitol Choices, 2007 The Capitol Choices Committee

Kirkus Best Children's Books, 2006 Kirkus

Middle and Junior High School Library Catalog, Supplement to Ninth Edition, 2007 H.W. Wilson Company

New Beginnings: Life in a New land, 2008 Bank Street College of Education

Notable Children's Books, 2007 ALSC American Library Association

Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, 2007 National Council for the Social Studies

Senior High Core Collection, Seventeenth Edition, 2007 The H. W. Wilson Co.

Senior High School Library Catalog, Sixteenth Edition, 2006 Supplement, 2006 H.W. Wilson Company

YALSA Best Books for Young Adults, 2007 American Library Association

Review Excerpt(s)

“The teen voice is wonderfully immediate, revealing Nadira's mixed-up feelings as well as the diversity in her family and in the Muslim community.”

- Hazel Rochman (Booklist, Dec. 15, 2005 (Vol. 102, No. 8))

“But the events of the novel are powerful enough to engage readers' attention and will make them pause to consider the effects of a legal practice that preys on prejudice and fear.” -Publishers Weekly

“Sure to elicit discussion, this novel would work very well for a teen book club selection.”

- Hope Morrison (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, March 2006 (Vol. 59, No. 7))

Connections

Discussion Questions:

Do you think families such as Aisha’s should be protected by the law?

In what ways does Nadira identify as a Bangladeshi? As an American?

How did September 11^th change Nadira’s family’s life and the life of other Muslims in America?

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